Berkley Fishing's Powerbait Ca$h Out Worm

Berkley Fishing introduced its Powerbait’s Ca$h Out Worm to the angling world at the 2019 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show.

It is a soft-plastic finesse bait that was designed by Skeet Reese of Auburn, California, who in 2019 competed at the Bassmaster Classic and on the Major League Fishing circuit.

And in the eyes of numerous Midwest finesse anglers, it is an avant-garde stick-style bait that can be employed on a mushroom-style jig.

We asked Hunter Cole of Columbia, South Carolina, who is Berkley’s media and public relations manager, to help us in our endeavor to publish a gear guide about it for a Midwest Finesse column. He responded by sending us some samples to examine, work with, and describe.

According to our measurements, it is 3 1/16 inches long.

It is graced with a dome-shaped head that is three-sixteenths of an inch long. At the junction with its torso, the head is seven-sixteenths of an inch wide with a circumference of 1 3/16 inches. Its epidermis is smooth.

The torso’s dorsal section is convex. The first 1 11/16 inches of the torso’s dorsal section is endowed with 19 minor ribs. The next five-eighths of an inch of the dorsal section is devoid of ribs, which makes its epidermis smooth.

The ventral area of the torso is flat and 2 1/4 inches long. The first 1 3/4 inches of the ventral is embellished with 11 very significant ribs, which are one-sixteenth of an inch thick. The ventral’s ribs are said to displace a high amount of water, which is thought to attract the curiosity and eyes of black bass. Rib number three is the biggest one, and it is seven-sixteenths of an inch long, which is also the widest spot of the Ca$h Out Worm’s torso, and this spot has a circumference of 1 3/8 inches. The last nine-sixteenths of an inch of the ventral area is devoid of the ribs, and its epidermis is smooth except for the word Berkley, which is lightly embossed on it.

As the posterior section of the torso joins the Ca$h Out Worm’s tail, the width of the torso diminishes in size to about one-eighth of an inch with a circumference of about five-eighths of an inch.

The tail possesses an elliptical-shape that is five-eighths of an inch long, about one-sixteenth of an inch thick, and three-eighths of an inch wide at its widest spot. Its ventral is adorned with a rudder that is five-eighths of an inch long, one-sixteenth of an inch thick, and three-sixteenths of an inch high at its highest spot. The tail’s dorsal is flat. The rudder is said to allow the Ca$h Out Worm “to track straight in current and produce a subtle swimming action.” The entire epidermis of the tail is smooth.

Reese originally designed it to be affixed to a mushroom-style jig, such as a Berkley Half Head Jig, but according to a Berkley press release, the field testers also discovered that it is effective when it is affixed to a drop-shot rig, split-shot rig, and a small Carolina rig.

It is manufactured in the following hues: Cotton Candy, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin/Chartreuse, Green Pumpkin Orange, Margarita Red, Midnight Magic, Peanut Butter n' Jelly, Morning Dawn Silver, Perfection, Skeet's Chartreuse Shad, Skeet's Green Money, and Watermelon Candy.

It is buoyant.

It is infused with Berkley’s poignant Powerbait scent.

When it is affixed to a mushroom-style jig, the buoyancy of the Ca$h Out Worm and its flat ventral area will accentuate its ability to seductively glide when a Midwest finesse angler employs it with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

A package of 10 costs $4.49.

Endnotes

1. Here is the link to Berkley's website: http://www.berkley-fishing.com/berkley-bait-soft-bait-berkley-powerbait/powerbait-ca%24h-out/1509868.html.
2. Here is a link to a YouTube video that features Reese and his insights about the Ca$h Out Worm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jpqbo3sEXw.
3. Beside the swim-glide-and-shake presentation, Midwest finesse anglers can present the Ca$h Out Worm to their black bass quarries by employing all of the six standard Midwest finesse retrieves. These retrieves revolve around what we call a no-feel presentation. Here is a link to a Midwest finesse column that explains how to execute those six retrieves: https://www.in fisherman.com/editorial/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/153946.

---